The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communication between computing devices and more particularly to configuring an accessory for operation with a wireless network.
Computing devices have been in use for several decades. Examples of computing devices include, for example, desktop computers, laptop computers, mobile phones, smartphones, tablet devices, portable multimedia players, devices integrated into automobiles, and/or the like. Computing devices can be used for performing a wide variety of tasks, from the simple to the most complex. In some embodiments, computing devices can have weight and size characteristics, such that the device is portable or easily moved.
In some instances, computing devices can communicate wirelessly over wireless networks. For example, computing devices can communicate over wireless networks based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 family of standards, also referred to as “WiFi”. These standards (including 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g and 802.11n) define frequency, modulation, data rates, and message formats for communicating information between devices. In general, in an 802.11-compliant wireless network (also referred to as a “WiFi network”), there is a designated “access point,” often with a wired connection to the Internet, that manages the WiFi network. Among other operations, the access point can route messages between networked client devices. The WiFi network often has a name (generally configurable by a network administrator interacting with the access point), which the access point can periodically broadcast, and client devices that know the name or discover the network name from the access point's broadcast can join the network by sending requests to join to the access point. In some cases, the requests can additionally include a password or access key. Computing devices can communicate wirelessly over other communication standards as well. For example, computing devices can use Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (LE), Zigbee, etc.
In general configuring devices to wirelessly communicate with other devices can be a difficult process, as users often must manually enter in network access information, personal identification numbers, wait for scans to complete, interact with unintuitive setup programs, and/or the like.